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McMahon to stay at Boro

Tony McMahon wants to stay at Middlesbrough and has shunned a move away from the club, Gareth Southgate has confirmed.

By Graeme Bailey

Last Updated: 15/01/09 7:10pm

Tony McMahon wants to stay at Middlesbrough and has shunned a move away from the club, Gareth Southgate has confirmed.

The 22-year-old full-back has been a long-term target of Championship outfit Burnley.

His current deal is set to expire in the summer, but he seems intent on trying to earn a new deal at The Riverside.

McMahon has broken back into the Boro first-team in recent weeks and is now set to stay until the summer at least.

Boro boss Southgate confirmed any deal to take McMahon to Turf Moor was dead, although at the same time he intimated he would have been willing to let him leave.

"Tony feels he wants to be here and rightly so, he wants to be here and fight for his place at a Premier League club, and he is playing very well for us, so that is pretty much dead," said Southgate.

Both McMahon and team-mate Rhys Williams were wanted by Burnley boss Owen Coyle, and reports suggested Boro would have been keen on a swap deal with midfielder Chris Eagles.

Looking

Whilst admitting he is looking at deals, Southgate's reiterates he will not lose anyone.

"We are always looking, can we improve the squad but that won't be done at the expense of players going out," he told Sky Sports News.

"I think we have a group players here who, if they play to their potential, will have a healthy finish in this league and in the last few weeks we have been making sure people know there won't be any movement away from the squad and their response has been very good.

Both Stewart Downing and Gary O'Neil have been looking to leave the club this month, but Southgate is happy with the response from both.

"Stewart Downing's last three performances have been outstanding. His contribution in training is second to none," he said.

"Gary O'Neil is slightly different. He loves his football here but his family were a little unsettled. But we have talked to him and he understands exactly why we are taking this position.

"Gary was ill last weekend but has recovered and he will be back in our squad at West Brom on Saturday.

"I believe that I have good relationships with both players, and everybody else in the squad. We are in this together and we will fight it out together until the end of the season.

"We know now what has been going on over the last six weeks and maybe it has proved unsettling in certain ways. It doesn't suddenly start when the transfer window opens.

"Now everyone is aware of what our chairman, Steve Gibson, has said and I think it will help to give us a better feeling going into matches.

"Yes, we could have taken the money but I honestly don't believe that we would have been able to replace outgoing players with anyone as good.

"It's difficult to attract players here. It could have placed us in a very awkward situation.

"What we have done is to let everybody know that we make the decisions and, once we have made them, that's how it is.

"I think we have done everything in the right manner and I think the reaction has been very good.

"Now we can concentrate on what is more important and that is working to our utmost every week in the Premier League.

"We know that we are in a difficult position but I believe that we have enough quality to pull well clear.

"We have to do it as a team, we have to do it together, and our only thought now is to try to win Saturday's game at West Brom."